Conventional legacy telephone networks (LTNs) use copper wire for data transfer and achieve data transfer rates of approximately 28 Kbits (KB) per second. This rate of data transfer is limited by the inherent properties of copper wire and its use throughout LTNs. Digital subscriber lines (DSLs) are available in some communities and DSL technology piggy backs on legacy copper wires and achieves data transfer rates of one or two MB.
The current push for faster phone and data lines has in part been fueled by advances in microprocessor technologies and the ability of computers to share data with one another. The development and growth of the Internet is an example of the emergence and importance of transferring data between computers or related electronic devices.
Since the inception of computer mediated data transfer, data transfer rates were limited by processor speeds and not by the mode or medium of data transfer. Efforts to improve processor speeds, however, have out paced improvements in the data transfer media. The speed of commodity microprocessors, for example, has now surpassed a gigahertz. This creates a situation where the LTN (and DSL) are far slower than processors and thus the rate limiting component of data transfer and communication.
To overcome these limitations, amongst other objectives, other data communication media have been or are being developed. These include fiber optic, microwave and millimeter wave communication media.
While fiber optic systems provide favorable data transfer rates, one disadvantage aspect is that fiber optic systems are extremely expensive to install. In urban areas, for example, the cost of burying cable is approximately one million dollars per mile.
Microwave systems (e.g., 900 MHz cellular telephone communication, etc.) provide an alternative to fiber optics that does not entail burying cable. A relative disadvantage of microwave systems, however, is that they have a significantly smaller bandwidth then millimeter wave and fiber optic systems.
Millimeter wave systems may be defined as radio systems operating between 20 and 100 GHz and hence achieve significantly higher bandwidth, though the actual data transfer rates will be less than the carrier frequency. Notwithstanding their higher bandwidth, however, millimeter wave systems are disadvantageous in that they are susceptible to rain fade and other atmospheric conditions, requiring significantly larger power transmitters to assure sufficient signal strength in foul weather.
Initial millimeter wave systems utilized pencil out, pencil back antenna arrangements to achieve point to point communication. To expand to point to multi-point communication, millimeter wave systems have been developed that are modeled on microwave point to multi-point systems. These systems utilize fan out and fan back or omni back communication antenna arrangements.
A disadvantage of fan out, fan back wireless systems, however, is that link margin is reduced by 15 to 20 dB compared to the fan out, pencil back arrangement of the present invention. To overcome link margin deficiencies, these systems utilized large and expensive power transmitters at the customer premises equipment (CPEs). Since the customer equipment is mass produced, customer equipment that is expensive and inefficient can be crippling to efforts to introduce an emerging communication technology.
Efforts to overcome link margin deficiencies also resulted in the use of higher gain, more expensive antennas at the hub.
A need thus exists for a wireless communication system and equipment therefor that has a high bandwidth and propagates data in an energy efficient and rapid manner. A need further exists for such a high bandwidth communication system that utilizes more economically priced equipment, thereby lowering barriers to entry.